Police: Man kicked in door, pawned items
Police say a 22-year-old Martinsville man kicked in a garage door on private property in Brown County, then pawned two chainsaws he had stolen.
Tyler Lewis was charged Feb. 24 with a Level 5 felony for burglary and two misdemeanors for theft and criminal mischief.
Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Horn began the burglary investigation when he responded to the report of a garage burglary on Bear Creek Road on Jan. 4. The owner said he had the garage built to store yard equipment and tools. There is no home on the property yet, but the owner and his family spend weekends camping there.
The owner told Horn he was last on the property on Dec. 28 and returned Jan. 3 to discover the garage door had been kicked in, causing structural damage to the building, the probable cause affidavit states. Two chainsaws and a work radio were missing.
On Jan. 7, Horn entered the serial numbers of the chainsaws into an online pawn shop database and discovered they had been sold to a pawn shop in Indianapolis. The pawn shop report showed that Lewis had pawned the chainsaws and that he lived in Martinsville.
On Jan. 27, Horn learned that Lewis was in the Morgan County jail and went to interview him there. Lewis admitted to going to the Bear Creek Road property looking for a friend who was not there. He found the garage instead and broke into it, according to the affidavit. He told the officer he kicked the garage door in and had to use a screwdriver to get the door open. Lewis also admitted to taking the chainsaws and work radio. He said he sold the work radio to a relative and told that relative to pawn it.
Horn was able to find the radio at a pawn shop in Martinsville.
Husband, wife charged in intimidation case
HAMBLEN TWP. — The husband of a woman who was charged with a felony in September for shooting a rifle near her neighbor’s home has now been charged for his role in the situation.
Matthew Quackenbush, 49, was charged on Feb. 24 with intimidation, a Level 6 felony, after Indiana State Police Trooper recommended charges be filed following a follow-up investigation in February.
Holly Quackenbush was charged on Sept. 21 with criminal recklessness, a Level 6 felony.
Police were first called to Birch Drive for a drug investigation. Quackenbush told police she was concerned about activity at one of her neighbor’s homes because she had seen a dark vehicle leaving the home after only being there for a short time, according to a probable cause affidavit by Hatchett.
Hatchett was on his way to meet with Quackenbush when a call came into the Brown County Sheriff’s Department dispatch from Quackenbush’s neighbor, who said that the Quackenbush couple were outside shooting an AR-15-type firearm in quick succession to intimidate him. He also said they were threatening to shoot him and were yelling obscenities at him, the affidavit states.
Officers reported seeing no drug activity while talking with the neighbor Quackenbush had suspected. The neighbor said he heard between eight and 10 rifle gunshots and he did not want any trouble; he wanted to be left alone with his wife and children, according to the affidavit.
Officers escorted the man back to his home because he said he was too afraid to leave his garage.
When police went to see the Quackenbush couple, Hatchett reported that both of them were intoxicated. Holly Quackenbush continued to say her neighbor was selling drugs and she wanted him out of her neighborhood. Both of them denied shooting any firearms.
Less than an hour later, the officers reported hearing a gunshot from Birch Drive while monitoring the area. Hatchett reported seeing Quackenbush yelling on her porch, then go inside the home as he exited his vehicle, the affidavit states.
When officers knocked, Quackenbush would not come to the door despite officers giving commands for her to do so. The couple eventually came to the porch to talk to police.
Quackenbush told police they were “making things up” when asking about the shot they heard and hearing her yell.
Hatchett noticed multiple shell casings on the deck and in the garden next to the deck. Police collected a total of 10 used casings from the porch, his report said.
When asked if they had an AR-15 in the home, Matthew Quackenbush led police inside and Hatchett saw the rifle on the kitchen island. Next to it was a loaded magazine with 30 rounds and a second magazine with only five rounds left inside.
Hatchett noted the chamber of the rifle was still warm, like it had been recently fired. The couple then became “belligerent” with officers.
That evening, Holly Quackenbush was arrested.
The neighbor reported hearing the couple yell curse words and telling him to move away. He reported hearing Matthew Quackenbush yell a curse word at him and then shoot a gun nine times. Matthew Quackenbush then allegedly said, “Come outside, I’ll kill you” to the neighbor. When the man returned to his house later that evening, his daughter thought he had been “shot and killed,” according to the update by Hatchett.
Man faces felony after police find narcotic
A 25-year-old Brown County man has been charged with a felony after he was stopped for a taillight violation and then police reported finding heroin in his car.
Christopher Powell of State Road 135 North was charged on March 3 with possession of a narcotic drug, a Level 6 felony.
On March 2, Nashville Police Patrolman Davis Huynh stopped Powell for a taillight infraction. Powell said he did not realize the taillights were not working. When Huynh returned to Powell’s vehicle letting him know he was free to go, he asked Powell for consent to search his vehicle and Powell allowed it, according to the affidavit.
Huynh found what he suspected to be heroin in a plastic bag that was stuffed inside Dowell’s cigarette pack, the affidavit states.
Powell denied the heroin being his, but Huynh noted the narcotic was found in the cigarette pack he was smoking out of and he was the sole occupant of the vehicle. Powell was arrested.
Stop for suspended license results in charge
A traffic stop on Feb. 6 resulted in a local man being charged with a felony and misdemeanor after police reported finding items associated with drug use.
On Feb. 6, Nashville Police Patrolman Billy Bryant stopped Sean Elkins, 27, of State Road 46 West, after he confirmed Elkins’ driver’s license was suspended. Elkins told the officer he didn’t know it was suspended.
Elkins denied consent to search his vehicle. A tow truck was called to pick it up and the vehicle was searched prior to the tow. Bryant allowed Elkins and his passenger to remove personal belongings from the van.
During the search, police reported finding two cotton swabs on the passenger side floor. Officers also found a spoon in the passenger side door and a syringe in the middle console. Elkins told police the syringe was for Naloxone that was at his house.
He was issued a summons for driving while suspended.
On Feb. 26, Elkins was charged with unlawful possession of a syringe, a Level 6 felony; and driving while suspended, Class A misdemeanor.
Stop results in charge for driving on suspension
Police discovered a 37-year-old Bloomington man was driving as an habitual traffic violator after they stopped him for speeding on Jan. 15. He was charged with a Level 6 felony on Feb. 24.
Nashville Police Patrolman Cody Poynter stopped Isaiah Butcher after clocking him traveling 66 mph in a 40 mph outside Nashville on State Road 46 West. Poynter reported finding that Butcher was a habitual traffic violator and did not have a valid driver’s license.
Police: Man had drugs, syringe in car during stop
A traffic stop on March 4 resulted in a Brown County man being arrested and later charged for possession of drugs, paraphernalia and a syringe.
Ethan Halcomb, 29, of Second Street, was stopped by Nashville Police Patrolman Cody Poynter because the vehicle only had one working headlight. Halcomb said the vehicle was recently in a crash and he hadn’t fixed the headlight yet.
After telling him he was free to go, Poynter asked to search his vehicle and Halcomb consented. Police reported finding a large lunch box in the passenger seat with a plastic case inside. In the case were several syringes, a burnt spoon with residue, cotton swabs and suspected narcotics.
Halcomb told police meth and heroin were in the case. Poynter’s report said that two of the syringes were full. Halcomb told the officer he had used drugs an hour prior to being stopped. He was arrested and taken to the Brown County jail.
On March 5, Halcomb was charged with possession of a narcotic drug, possession of methamphetamine and possession of a syringe, all Level 6 felonies. He was also charged with a misdemeanor for possession of paraphernalia.
Failure to signal in town results in OWI charges
A 69-year-old Brown County man has been charged with multiple misdemeanors after police stopped him for failing to use a turn signal and reported he was driving while intoxicated.
On Feb. 22, Timothy Fannin of State Road 45 was charged with three misdemeanors for operating a vehicle while intoxicated and a Class A misdemeanor for driving while suspended.
Fannin was stopped by police on Feb. 17 while pulling out of the CVS parking lot. He also had a suspended license, according to a probable cause affidavit by Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy William Pool.
Fannin became disgruntled and angry when asked to perform field sobriety tests. When asked to do the walk and turn test, Fannin said he was cold, so he was taken to the Brown County Sheriff’s Department to complete the tests, Pool’s affidavit states.
A breath test showed his blood-alcohol content to be 0.19, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08, the report said.
He was booked into the Brown County jail.
Indy woman arrested for OWI after traffic stop
Police arrested a 21-year-old Indianapolis woman on Feb. 24 for traffic violations and ended up making an alcohol arrest.
Nashville Police Patrolman Cody Poynter stopped Ashley Guevara Stone in the 3300 block of State Road 135 North. Poynter began following Stone after she drove past him on Van Buren Street and did not turn her high beam lights off. He reported she was unable to stay in her lane of traffic and that there were several times her vehicle was more than halfway in the oncoming lane, a probable cause affidavit states.
During the stop, Poytner reported smelling alcohol on Stone. She told him she had two shots before leaving Bloomington to pick up a friend in Greenwood. A portable breath test showed her blood alcohol content to be 0.13. She was arrested and taken to the Brown County jail.
She was formally charged on March 4 with three misdemeanors for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
Speeding stop results in OWI misdemeanors
A 33-year-old Bedford man faces three misdemeanors for operating a vehicle while intoxicated after he was stopped for speeding on Gatesville Road.
Nashville Police Patrolman Cody Poynter reported seeing Jeffrey Mathis driving at a high rate of speed north on State Road 135 North, but he was unable to clock the speed. Poynter turned around to follow the vehicle and it quickly turned onto Gatesville Road without using a signal. Poynter noted in his probable cause affidavit the vehicle was driving at 60 mph in a 40 mph zone and that it had an expired license plate.
Poynter stopped the car at the Gatesville/Bean Blossom road intersection.
Mathis told Poynter he thought he was his friend following him and that is why he was speeding. He told Poynter he had four to five beers along with a double shot of alcohol before leaving a relative’s house in Martinsville.
A portable breath test showed his blood-alcohol content to be 0.10, over the legal limit of 0.08. He was arrested. His passenger was picked up by a friend.
Mathis was charged Feb. 22 with three misdemeanors for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
Failure to signal leads to drug misdemeanors
Police stopped a vehicle for failing to use a turn signal on Jan. 9 and reported the driver had marijuana and paraphernalia in his possession.
Jason Burch, 54, of Grandma Barnes Road, was charged Feb. 25 with two misdemeanors for possession of marijuana and paraphernalia. Nashville Police Patrolman Billy Bryant stopped him just before 10 p.m. at the Speedway gas station after he turned onto Van Buren Street from Washington without using a signal, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Bryant reported smelling marijuana during the stop. When Bryant told Burch he would be conducting a search based on the smell, Burch handed him a bag of marijuana he had in his sock. He said there was also a smoking pipe in the vehicle.
Burch was issued a summons and released from the scene.
Police: Man had marijuana, paraphernalia in vehicle
A 24-year-old Batesville man has been charged with two misdemeanors for possession of marijuana and paraphernalia after a Jan. 11 traffic stop in Brown County.
Jordan Ertel was stopped by Nashville Police Patrolman Billy Bryant after Bryant clocked him driving 57 mph in a 45 mph zone on State Road 46 West.
Bryant reported smelling marijuana. Ertel told Bryant he had some inside the center console. Police reported finding a bag of marijuana, a grinder and five baggies with marijuana residue inside them.
Ertel told police the marijuana and grinder belonged to him. He was issued a summons and released from the scene.
Man charged with possession misdemeanors
A 21-year-old Indianapolis man faces two misdemeanors in Brown County for possession of marijuana and paraphernalia after he was stopped by police for speeding.
Calvin Santiago was charged Feb. 26. Sgt. Colton Magner with the Brown County Sheriff’s Department stopped his vehicle Jan. 29 after he clocked him driving 57 mph in a 50 mph zone on State Road 46 East, a probable cause affidavit states.
Magner reported smelling marijuana in the vehicle. Santiago told him he would find it in a bag under the front edge of the driver’s seat. In the bag, Magner reported finding a pipe with marijuana residue, a grinder and a bag of marijuana. He also reported finding a partially burnt marijuana cigarette in a cigarette box in the center console.
Santiago was issued a summons and released from the scene.
Two charged for marijuana after traffic stop
Two people have been charged with a misdemeanor for possession of marijuana after a traffic stop in Brown County on Jan. 22.
Nashville Police Patrolman Billy Bryant stopped Savannah Cole, 21, of Bloomington, on State Road 46 West after seeing her follow too closely and for not having a working license plate light.
Bryant reported smelling marijuana in the vehicle. Cole and her passenger Tisharon Thompson, 21, of Indianapolis, admitted to having some in the car, which Bryant was able to see in plain view on the dash, a probable cause affidavit states.
Both Cole and Thompson said the marijuana belonged to both of them. They were issued summonses before being released from the scene. They both were charged with a Class B misdemeanor on Feb. 26.
Marijuana charge filed against Morgantown man
A 25-year-old Morgantown man has been charged with a Class B misdemeanor after police reported finding two marijuana cigarettes during a traffic stop on Jan. 18.
A vehicle which Jacob Bratcher was riding in was stopped by Nashville Police Patrolman Billy Bryant. The vehicle was driving with its hazard lights on and had an expired plate. He stopped it at the antique mall on State Road 46 East.
While speaking with the vehicle’s owner Bryant asked if there was anything illegal in the vehicle and the owner said Bratcher had a marijuana cigarette.
Bryant also found a bag with marijuana residue inside the car, his report said.
Bratcher admitted that both marijuana cigarettes belonged to him. Bratcher was issued a summons and was released from the scene. He was formally charged on Feb. 24.
Police: Man tried to flee police, had pipe in car
HAMBLEN TWP. — A 43-year-old Brown County man faces two misdemeanors after he tried to flee police on Feb. 23 while driving on a suspended license and they found a pipe in his vehicle, according to court paperwork.
Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy William Pool was driving on Spearsville Road when he noticed a vehicle that Ronnie Wagers had driven in the past. Pool knew Wagers had a suspended license and a warrant, so he turned around to stop the vehicle, according to an incident report.
When he was trying to catch up to the vehicle, he was driving around 75 mph when the speed limit in that area was 40 mph, his report said. Wagers also ran a stop sign and Pool reported he had to follow the dust in the air to see where he was driving, according to the report.
After losing sight of the vehicle, Pool drove around looking for the vehicle and reported finding it in the woods at the end of Calvin Cemetery Road. The front passenger side had struck a tree. The keys were still in the ignition and the windows were down. He also noticed a fresh set of footprints heading away from the vehicle and into the woods, the report states.
K9 Kronin was able to track Wagers in the woods, where he was trying to catch his breath, Pool reported.
Wagers told Pool he did stop at the stop sign. A wrecker was called to remove the vehicle.
In the snow footprints around the vehicle, Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Austin Schonfeld reported finding a glass pipe consistent with smoking methamphetamine.
Wagers was arrested on a warrant and taken to the Brown County jail. He was charged on Feb. 24 with two misdemeanors for possession of paraphernalia and driving with a suspended license.
